Description

The project PROLIX (FP6) aimed at aligning learning management to business needs using an integrated skill and competency management. PROLIX developed an open, integrated reference architecture for process-oriented learning and information exchange. PROLIX supported a complete learning process life cycle comprising of:

1. the analysis of complex business situations;

2. the identification of individual and organizational learning goals;

3. the analysis of competencies and their matching with individual skills;

4. the definition of appropriate learning strategies and the simulation of learning processes;

5. the execution of improved learning processes; 6. the monitoring of learners' performance according to the goals defined.

The key innovation in PROLIX consisted of a process- and competency driven framework for interlinking business process intelligence tools on the one hand with knowledge management and learning environments on the other. In order to demonstrate its concept, PROLIX set up three test beds in different fields of application. In the first 18-month period, PROLIX specified, designed, implemented and started to demonstrate its tools and services in more mature eLearning-aware and, therefore, lowered risk environments, i.e. the "Government test bed" with UK Government Care Programme (Social Care Institute for Excellence), the "Telecom test bed" with British Telecom (BT) learning, and the "Educational Publishing test bed" with publishing houses Klett and EDITIS.

To reach the objectives, PROLIX united 19 partners from 10 different countries made up of the 2 leading and largest European software vendors for Learning Management (imc Germany) and Learning Content Management (Giunti Interactive), the largest independent European business process management company (IDS Scheer), leading European research partners in learning technology, didactics and cognition as well as technology-enhanced learning software architecture.

Results

PROLIX  developed an open service-oriented architecture for learning that promotes open and flexible learning environments in corporate and educational organizations. For example: the European Patent Office today has used elements of PROLIX to plan the individual development of employees based on a systematic skill and competency management that is based on PROLIX results. Also training institutions in UK follow the life cycle approach of PROLIX in order to align their training to the needs of their customers. The Greece Piraeus bank is using PROLIX competency management in combination with their learning platform.

Also the e-learning in industry in Europe has been successful in transferring results from PROLIX  into their products. Major European vendors for learning technology such as IMC and eXact Learning have successfully developed components of PROLIX  into their product portfolio. For example the CLIX talent suite of IMC uses the PROLIX  competency matching as integral part and as link between the learning suite and the talent management. Also the eXact Publisher uses the IMS LD editor component that has been used by PROLIX. The web services of the open SOA have used to implement open interfaces in the application, so that a cloud of learning services can be provided by different European vendors to offer a flexible solution to customers with an innovative business model.